Baldur’s Gate 3 was a smash hit upon release. Of course, it’s a fantastic game, and the Baldur’s Gate name certainly helped. But, Swen Vincke, the head of Larian Studios, also recognized another crucial part of making a game successful—building trust with your fanbase.
Vincke recently shared some invaluable information about how his team navigated the challenges of appealing to its players while staying true to its vision that made the game such a hit.
Swen Vincke Tells How Baldur’s Gate 3 Cleverly Marketed Itself
In an interview with Games Industry, when asked about how Larian Studios built a bond of trust with its community, vincke’s advice is refreshingly simple yet useful:
I’ll give you a very Catholic answer – treat your players as you would like to be treated, that’s it.
We all know how Baldur’s Gate 3 took the whole internet by storm, and this was largely thanks to Larian’s grassroots marketing approach. Vincke credits the players for spreading the word and creating a buzz that exceeded their expectations by far.
When it was released, it was nearly impossible to stay away from hearing about the game if you were anywhere near the gaming community, and for good reason.
The game is largely praised for its fantastic plot, memorable characters (including fan-favorite Astarion), and some scenes that etched themselves into the player’s memory and marketed themselves (the infamous bear scene, anyone?).
Just by talking about the game and raving about it, the community successfully marketed the game and the results were in front of everyone’s eyes at the prestigious Game Awards 2023.
Larian Came Out Winning in a Competition With Bethesda
Larian Studios managed to carve itself a success despite competing with industry behemoths, by staying true to its core principles. Vincke recalls the team’s initial skepticism about the game’s potential, only to be pleasantly surprised by its reception:
What I said at the start was: if we do what Divinity Original Sin 2 does, then we’re fine.
We can work from that basis, and we should get more because we’ll have the Dungeons & Dragons effect and the Baldur’s Gate effect.
Navigating the release schedule was a major challenge for the game, particularly because the release of Bethesda’s Starfield was right around the corner. Vincke took a respectful approach to this:
If you’re at sea and a bigger boat passes by, the rule is that you go out of the way for the bigger boat – they were the bigger boat.
Despite the differences between Starfield and Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian focused on highlighting the unique strengths of its game, particularly its narrative depth and cinematic experience.
And, we all know by now everyone’s opinion on the two games. In our review of Starfield, we listed many of the problems that really held the game back from its potential.
Bethesda’s game had way more eyes on it than Larian did, yet Baldur’s Gate 3 very clearly came out on top, which is a commendable achievement.
Have you given either of these games a try? Why do you think one was more well-received than the other? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
